*This post may contain clickable affiliate links*
Cold email is one of the best sales channels you can add to your business.
Mailing cold email lists can be a powerful tool for internet marketers, but it’s often overlooked or mishandled. It can open doors to new business opportunities, partnerships and customers.
Whether you use cold email to find sales leads, connect with influencers, build your personal brand, find mentors, or grow your network, there’s no underestimating its power.
However, making cold email responsive won’t happen if your poorly crafted cold emails end up in the spam folder, completely ignored.
If you want to maximise your outreach and get the responses you deserve, you need to approach cold emailing with strategy, creativity, and a human touch.
In this post, we’ll explore actionable tips for making cold email responsive, helping you to improve your open rates, response rates, and, ultimately, your conversions.
One of the many benefits of cold email outreach is the relative ease with which you can analyze, optimize, and scale your efforts.
Identify what’s working, what works better and what’s not working at all. Quickly scale up or down as required. Very few other channels can give you that so readily.
Whether you’re a seasoned internet marketer or just starting out, these strategies will ensure your cold email efforts are effective and efficient.
Cold Email Responsive Lists
Scraping emails off of social media or similar means and blind emailing without a persons permission is just spamming. Don’t Do It!
It will get you into trouble, get little if any response and is a total waste of everyone’s time.
I use a cold email list company where I have access to each persons data and they have given their permission to be contacted by email on business opportunity offers and marketing tools.
Get 100 additional and cumulative
new cold leads every day for $1/day.100 drip fed “Business Opportunity” email subscribers
into your contact list EVERY 24-Hours.
Done-for-you emailing platform (CAN-SPAM Compliant) VISIT MLGS
It’s not the best quality list for predominantly North America emails, but remember, good leads can normally be $.40 to $1+ EACH. If every day just one person becomes a lead on your autoresponder or buys something – you can consider that a success.
It is slow going building the list at first, but now I DO get opens and signups onto my OWN lists on a daily basis.
I have two accounts thanks to the affiliate set up. Week days I promote the same message to just the new leads every day (300 in my case). On week ends I promote to all my leads accumulated (160,000 so far this post date)
*My main job with cold email is to get them to open, click and enter their details onto my capture page for my own lists.*
Then I can gradually warm them up with autoresponder messages.
Writing an email is easy.
Writing a good email takes more effort and insight.
Email has three critical components:
- Your subject line
- Your opening line
- Your main body
To successfully send cold emails, you need to start thinking about the recipient
experience.
1. Start with a Strong, Personalised Subject Line in your Cold Email

The subject line is the first thing your recipient will see. It’s your first (and possibly only) chance to grab their attention.
If your subject line doesn’t compel them to open the email, everything else is irrelevant.
When crafting subject lines, make sure they are personalised, relevant, and intriguing.
Personalisation is key.
Addressing the recipient by their first name or referring to something specific to them. It could be a recent post they made, a shared connection, or something relevant to their business. This can increase open rates significantly.
However, don’t go overboard. You want it to feel natural, not forced.
For instance, “Hi Sarah, Saw Your Post on SEO Trends – Let’s Chat!” feels far more engaging than “Increase Your SEO Rankings Today!”
At the same time, make sure the subject line is short and to the point.
Avoid being too vague, but also steer clear of sounding like a clickbait headline.
A good subject line should spark curiosity while being clear about the value you’re offering.
2. Focus on Relevance in the Opening Line
Once the recipient opens your email ✅, the next challenge is to keep their attention.
The opening line should immediately provide value or relevance to them. Avoid generic introductions like “I hope you’re doing well” or “I wanted to reach out” — these lines don’t provide any insight into why your email is worth their time.
Instead, use the opening line to establish how your offer aligns with their needs or interests. Mention something specific to their business or goals.
For instance, if you know they’ve been looking for ways to improve their email marketing campaigns, start your email with:
“I noticed that your brand has been increasing email marketing efforts recently, and I wanted to share a strategy that could boost your results.”
This kind of opening demonstrates that you’ve done your research and that your message is tailored to them.
3. Keep It Short and Clear

Internet marketers are busy people. They don’t have the time or patience to read long, drawn-out emails.
In fact, research shows that cold emails with shorter, more concise content have higher response rates than those that go on for paragraphs.
You want to quickly convey who you are, what you’re offering, and why it matters to them.
In order to keep your email short, make sure you focus on one clear goal.
Are you looking to schedule a call?
Do you want to offer them a resource?
Make sure the recipient knows exactly what you want them to do after reading your email. For example,
“If you’re interested, I’d love to schedule a 10-minute call to discuss how we can help increase your email open rates.”
Try to keep your message to the point, and avoid unnecessary jargon or fluff.
Keep It Simple
Keep your email simple and focused in order to make them more effective. If you can say it in a way that’s simpler or shorter, you should do so.
Try to replace jargon with everyday language that everyone can understand. Think about how you’d explain the product or business to your grandmother or to a 10-year-old to simplify your language.
“You need to earn their attention to read the email, and you need to earn their response”
The more simple and short it is, the better it is and the more they’re going to remember the email.
4. Offer Value in Cold Email, Not a Hard Sell
One of the most significant mistakes internet marketers make in cold emailing is coming on too strong with a hard sell.
A cold email isn’t the time to push for a sale. It can work but the percentage results is very poor.
Instead, focus on offering value.
Show that you understand the recipient’s pain points and explain how your product or service can solve those problems. Rather than saying,
“Buy my product now!” try something like,
“I’ve helped companies like yours increase conversion rates by 20% through this approach, and I’d love to show you how it can work for you.”
By leading with value, you demonstrate that you’re genuinely interested in helping them.
You’re not just trying to sell something; you’re offering a solution that could genuinely improve their business.
When recipients feel that their time is being respected and that they might gain something useful, they’re much more likely to respond.
5. Incorporate Social Proof

Social proof is one of the most effective ways to build trust and increase the likelihood of a positive response.
People are more likely to engage with your email if they see that others in similar situations have benefited from your offering.
Include brief testimonials, case studies, or statistics that demonstrate your credibility. For example:
“We helped XYZ Company increase their website traffic by 30% in just three months using this strategy.” Or,
“My clients have seen a 40% improvement in lead generation after implementing this method.”
These snippets build trust and reinforce your message.
Be careful not to overload the email with too much information or excessive claims. A few concise, relevant examples are more than enough to convey your expertise.
6. Make Your Call to Action Clear and Easy
The call to action (CTA) is the final nudge you need to get the recipient to take action.
A cold email without a clear CTA is like a website without a “Buy Now” button—it leaves the recipient wondering what to do next.
However, many internet marketers make the mistake of being unclear or too vague with their CTA. Don’t leave the reader hanging or leave it open-ended.
Be specific and actionable.
Rather than saying “Let me know if you’re interested,” try something like, “If you’d like to chat more, would you be available for a quick call on Thursday at 10 AM?”
For internet marketing it is often an action take sentence to move the reader to a splash page or information page and get their email.
You want to make it easy for the recipient to say yes, so make sure the CTA is simple and straightforward.
Don’t ask your reader to watch your video, click on a link to sign-up for something, visit your website, onboard for a free trial, or schedule a call – all in the same email.
With every email you send, you want your recipient to do something.
7. Follow Up with Thoughtful Persistence

Cold emailing doesn’t always lead to an immediate response.
In fact, it often takes several views of your emails in their inbox before a recipient takes a look.
But persistence is key. However, there’s a fine line between being persistent and being pushy. Your sequence of emails to the list should always be thoughtful and respectful.
Don’t just copy and paste the same message; instead, add new value or take a different stance.
For example, you could try a different subject line, a different value proposition, or a different format (e.g., offering a piece of content instead of a call).
You should have a small selection of tested and proven emails derived as indicated in this post.
8. Test and Optimise Your Emails
To ensure that your cold email campaigns are as responsive as possible, you need to regularly test and optimise your approach. A/B testing is a simple but effective way to improve your cold email performance.
Test different subject lines, messaging, CTAs, and even the timing of your emails to see what works best.
Keep track of your metrics, such as open rates, response rates, and conversion rates, and use this data to adjust your strategy.
Over time, you’ll learn what resonates with your target audience and refine your approach accordingly.
One of the many benefits of cold email outreach is the relative ease with which you can analyze, optimize, and scale your efforts. Identify what’s working, what works better, and what’s not working at all.
Quickly scale up or down as required. Very few other marketing channels can give you that so readily.
9. Ensure Your Email is Mobile-Friendly
In today’s world, many people read emails on their smartphones, so it’s crucial to ensure your cold email is mobile-friendly.
If your email looks cluttered or difficult to read on a mobile device, the recipient is likely to dismiss it.
To optimise for mobile, use short paragraphs, clear fonts, and concise formatting.
Also, make sure any links or buttons are easy to click on smaller screens.
I run my email through a free text formatter to give 50 characters per line (https://www.formatit.com/)
A well-formatted email ensures that your message is easy to read, no matter how it’s being viewed.
Conclusion
Cold emailing is a vital tool for internet marketers, but only if it’s done right.
By personalising your emails, offering real value, and using a clear, actionable CTA, you’ll significantly increase your chances of getting a response.
And don’t forget to follow up with thoughtful persistence and keep testing to optimise your approach.
When you craft cold emails that respect the recipient’s time and offer something useful, you’ll see better results and build stronger connections that can drive your business forward.
VISIT MLGS and get 100 additional and
cumulative new cold leads every day for $1/day.100 drip fed “Business Opportunity” email subscribers
into your contact list EVERY 24-Hours.
Done-for-you emailing platform (CAN-SPAM Compliant).